Andrew Wareham [Wareham - 04 Peking Nightmares (The Earl’s Other Son Series, #4)

Editors Note: This book was written, produced and edited in the UK where some of the spellings, punctuation and word usage vary slightly from U.S. English.

The Earls Other Son Series

Peking Nightmares

Obelisk and Brave tied up to the pontoons on the Bund, the crew, officers and men alike, silent as they watched Magnus walk to the brow and then wait for Captain Hawkins to join him from Brave. The pair strolled off to the Senior Naval Officers cabin side by side, making a show of comradeship.

There was none of the ebullience that normally accompanied homecoming after a successful action. The men had watched the destroyer run down and drown the score or so of survivors in the water as King Yuan sank. They had heard the official word that Brave had been trying to turn away and did not believe it. The drowned men had only been Chinese, many of them agreed, but even so, the Navy did not kill survivors it was not right.

They would say nothing or not for years, they might suffer in their consciences as old men and open their mouths then for the Navy did not advertise its shame. They were not pleased. Most wanted nothing more than to get ashore and wipe the whole episode clean with too much beer followed by a night in the brothels, which were plentiful in Shanghai. A few were more upset, although not sufficiently to cause their mouths to flap.

Lieutenant Knowles was one of those who considered himself to be little more than an accessory to murder. He had been silent, withdrawn, on the return voyage. He had almost decided to send in his papers, to resign his commission, and to seek work in Shanghai. He had already discovered that the great hongs were always short of senior Englishmen, and would have a place for a naval officer who wanted to earn a living wage rather than the pittance paid by the Navy. He would no longer be a gentleman, perhaps, but he would have clean hands and far more money.

The trouble was, there was a war almost upon them. The Boxers were up and the Navy would be into them within a very few days. To resign now would smack of cowardice. He must play his part in the coming unpleasantness - and do it well. There would be a better paid job for a man who came out from the fighting with a good name, and, besides, he, like most Victorian officers, had never fought in a war. He had not trained and practised for years to miss this one, the first since the Crimea, apart from the ongoing shambles in South Africa. This would be the Navys war - there were no soldiers available other than the Wei-Hai-Wei Chinese Battalion, who would no doubt be present and would be expected to match the sepoys who had been their inspiration.

Knowles would fight, but he was finished with the Navy after that. He wondered how his captain felt.

Magnus was sickened by the whole business and had no hesitation in informing Captain Hawkins that his actions for Magnus had no doubt he had given the orders were tantamount to murder.

I shall not open my mouth, sir how could I, being an accessory?

Exactly. What needs doing must be done, Eskdale. No choice in the business. The Empire comes first. Whats a few dead Chinks compared to the Empire on which the sun never sets, eh? You need to cultivate a sense of proportion in this business, my boy!

Sorry, sir. I only have a sense of right and wrong.

Pity! Still, we agreed the Trade is not for you, Eskdale. Ill see to it that youre looked after when this Boxer affair is dealt with. For the while, you know what to say.

Of course, sir. Nothing.

Captain Parker listened and then read the copy of the official report, forwarded to him as a courtesy as a ship under his command had been used.

You intercepted an old French cruiser sailing under the false name of King Yuan. On challenging her, she fired her main armament and Brave and Obelisk responded with torpedoes and guns and sank her with all hands. Obelisk suffered no casualties while Brave lost the three men of a gun crew. Brave will require a dockyard for repairs.

That is correct, Captain Parker.

Then there is no more to be said other than to regret the loss of good men. I shall send in my report of Obelisks actions, sir. That will be to the force gathering in the Gulf of Pechihli, gentlemen. The whole of the China Station is gathering there. My latest orders from Admiral Seymour demand that all ships in Shanghai, other than one nominated to aid the gunboat on river patrol, will join the fleet. We are to carry any experienced volunteers in addition to our full complements and as many bodies as can be released from duty onshore here. I presume you will send Brave to Hong Kong, sir?

No choice, Captain Parker. Too much damaged and with men and a gun lost; she needs the dockyard. Damned revolving Hotchkiss gun one pound explosive shells made a mess of the gun and the plating as well as the men. The new destroyers in the building need a tougher skin than the existing twenty-six knotters. Five inch guns would be useful as well. Four inchers are too light. Bigger torpedoes would make sense. Twenty-one inch rather than eighteen. Dont learn these things except bloodily!

Captain Parker made no bones about noting Hawkins comments for his own use.

That will go into my reports as well, sir. The more people say the same thing, the better. What was your opinion, Lord Eskdale?

We need fast protected cruisers, sir. Oil-fired and good for twenty-five knots at least. Six six inchers in twin turrets; a dozen of half-inch Maxims and pompoms; four or even eight of torpedo tubes, twenty-one inch. Besides that, I would recommend very light cruisers or heavy destroyers, whichever to carry a pair of five inchers and as many Maxims as can be fitted aboard as well as four tubes and to make at least thirty knots, preferably more. In flotillas, sir, one cruiser to protect five or six destroyers from gunboats and to attack enemy destroyers as well.

Oil-fired and expensive, Eskdale.

Cheaper than battleships, sir, and far more useful.

Possibly, but the Admiralty will not accept that. Big battleships with big guns, that is all Their Lordships want.

A pity, sir. Thing is, battleships cost so much that they cannot be lost the politicians will weep at so much money going to the seabed. They will make the Navy too cautious, sir. Flotillas of fast, small ships will win the next war at sea, sir. Battleships wont.